You Can't Choose Family
by Kyler Brennan
Summary: Rewrite of A Stark Raised By Fentons. "If only he knew how much his life would flip upside down when he entered that portal." Rated T because of reasons. Currently in the process of rewriting the previous chapters and adding Iron Man 3 to the mix before going off and writing my own stuff.
1. Chapter 1: The Accident

Universes:

AU Danny Phantom

AU Iron Man

AU Iron Man 2

AU Avengers

AU Iron Man 3

Plot: Howard Stark and Maria Stark had lived longer than just Tony's teens, and Tony got Stark Industries when he was twenty.

Maria Stark had lived longer than Howard after the plane crash, but not by much. The last gift Howard gave Maria before he went on to the Ghost Zone was a child, a half-ghost child, who Maria named Marcus Howard Stark.

Giving up the child to college friends, the Fentons, she killed herself. But before that, she told them that Marcus was half-ghost. Jack and Maddie made a medication to suppress the half-ghost inside of Marcus- who they dubbed Daniel James "Danny" Fenton.

Flash forward fourteen years, and Danny had the portal accident. In the beginning, he thought the portal half killed him. In reality, the portal did not kill him at all. It fried his medication, freeing his ghost half.

Telling Jack and Maddie about it, they explained to Danny that he was not really Daniel James Fenton. He was actually Marcus Howard Stark, half-ghost son of Maria Stark and Howard Stark, and half-ghost younger brother of the famous Anthony Edward Stark.

Tony knew about Danny. He knew that his mother had lived and had Danny. So when Jack and Maddie ask him if he wants to meet Danny… Well, he prepares a room and everything. And then… The events of Iron Man happen. And all the other movies.

Author- Just me, Kyler Brennan.

Disclaimer- I own nothing but the plot.

Other Stuff- Wow. Didn't think I'd get this out as quick as I have, but here we are! I'm going to try to be better with this. Way better. This is also going to ignore some things. Like how HYDRA had Tony's parents killed. Because the car crash wouldn't work with this. Not at all. Also, things will change from the original story, but don't worry, I think you guys will like it. I hope. Otherwise, I'm totally screwed. Though the timeline is already fucked up as it is. Anyways, enjoy reading!

* * *

 **You Can't Choose Family**

 **Chapter One**

 **The Accident**

* * *

The FentonWorks Laboratory was lit up like a Christmas Tree. It was the day after the Fenton Ghost Portal had failed, and young Daniel "Danny" Fenton had brought his friends, Tucker Foley and Samantha "Sam" Manson, down to the basement lab to check out the portal.

Danny Fenton was a pale-skinned, lanky, fourteen-year-old boy with shaggy, jet black hair and stunning sky blue eyes. He wore a white shirt with red trims and a red oval on his chest, along with jeans and red and white converse sneakers. He loved space and wanted to be an astronaut when he grew up. If you looked in his room you could see NASA posters, space posters, model rockets, and a lot of other space-themed items.

Tucker Foley- or T.F. as in Too Fine, as he liked to tell the girls he hit on- was an African-American Technogeek. He had turquoise eyes that were framed by glasses and black hair that was always covered by his red beret. He wore a yellow shirt with green cargo pants and brown boots. He was a meat-eater and always seemed to have a PDA in his hand.

Finally, Sam Manson, the only girl of the group, was a goth. She had black hair and amethyst colored eyes. Her hair always seemed to be up in a pony-tail. She wore a crop-top black shirt with a purple oval on it and a black and green plaid skirt, along with her famous combat boots. Calling her Samantha was a surefire way to get a combat boot between the legs. She was an Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian, meaning she wouldn't eat anything with a face on it.

Sam had dared the boy to go into the portal, just to check it out. Maybe see if he could fix it. After a bit of coaxing, Danny put on a white and black HAZMAT suit and went in.

If only he knew how much his life would flip upside down when he entered that portal.

Tripping on a wire, he tried to grab something on the wall. Instead of grabbing something, however, he felt something give under his hand. After regaining his footing, he noticed that it was the "ON" button that he had pressed.

With wide eyes filled with horror, he tried to make his way out of the portal as it started to hum and glow, but it was too late. He was caught inside the portal as it started up.

His screams of agony were heard throughout the basement- possibly throughout the house- and all his best friends could do was watch in horror, their mouths left agape.

"Danny!" Sam screamed, almost making a break for the portal. Tucker stopped her, however, by grabbing her by the arm.

The portal sparked more, and Danny's screams of agony increased. "Sam, look out!" Tucker yelled, pushing her out of the way of the portal.

The portal suddenly spit out Danny, who was encased in bright green energy. Danny hit the wall, then landed on the floor with a THUD! But he wasn't the same Danny that went into the portal.

Instead of black hair, his messy hair was as pure white as snow. If his eyes had been open, they would no longer be the stunning blue, but an eerie toxic emerald green. His suit was no longer mainly white. The colors had inverted, leaving the suit mainly black. His skin was tanner than before and there was a white aura surrounding his body.

"Oh my gosh, Danny!" Sam screamed, racing toward him. Tucker followed suit, eyes wide.

"Kids!? Are you alright!?" A female voice was heard from upstairs.

Tucker was hyperventilating, as Danny twitched with electricity. He was scared to even touch him. "Dude, dude, no. You can't be dead! We've never went on a double date with twin cheerleaders!"

Danny twitched, and his eyes opened and closed drowsily. "I'm not dead… Can you keep it down, Tuck..." He slurred out, collapsing to the ground. He twitched again, and bright blue/white rings of energy washed over him, transforming him back into a human, to Tucker and Sam's complete and utter shock. A sigh escaped his mouth as he started to drift into unconsciousness.

"No, no, no… Danny… Don't go to sleep…" Sam muttered, shaking him slightly, trying to keep him awake.

"Dude, don't go to the light!" Tucker yelled, as Maddie raced down the stairs to see her son, on the floor, sparking with electricity. His eyes were dulled down, and his breathing was slow. His skin was much paler than normal.

When he sparked again, Maddie couldn't help but faint.

"Mrs. Fenton!"

Jack came running down afterwards, and immediately, he called two numbers. 9-1-1. And, the number of a certain Anthony Edward Stark…

* * *

Tony was in his workshop in his Malibu mansion, working on one of his many cars, when he got the call from Jack. His music was blaring through the speakers, but it was turned down quickly so that his AI could communicate with him.

" _Sir, a 'Jack Fenton' is trying to reach you via the telephone,_ " the British-English voice of the AI Butler, JARVIS, said.

Anthony Edward Stark, more commonly referred to as Tony, jolted under the car. He knew where this was going to go. "Answer it, JARVIS," he said, pushing himself out from under the car.

Tony Stark was a muscular man, thanks to the years working with weapons and other technology. His hair was short and black, and he had a nicely kept goatee. He had a fair complexion and brown eyes. He wore a t-shirt that was covered with grease stains, and his jeans were in the same state. He had sneakers on, as well.

" _As you wish, sir,_ " JARVIS replied briskly.

"Mr. Fenton, what's wrong?" Tony asked as soon as the call was patched through.

" _Danny… Got electrocuted by a ghost portal. It seems to have activated his dormant… Ghost…_ " Jack said. His tone was filled with worry for his only son- adopted or not.

"And what do you need from me? I know nothing about ghosts or biology, and Stark Industries is a _weapons_ manufacturing company. Can't help there," Tony replied. He didn't want to have to drag Danny into all this. He knew why Jack was calling, but he was only playing dumb, trying to prolong the inevitable.

Danny deserved a life better than the one Tony had growing up. Which is why, when Tony started running SI, he had left Danny with the Fentons. Plus, he had no experience raising kids and he didn't want to rip Danny from the only family he had known. Despite what the media showed, Tony Stark _did_ care about people other than himself.

" _We might need help… Explaining who he really is,_ " Jack answered. " _That, you can help with._ "

"What do you need in that department?" Tony asked with a soft sigh, knowing he would have to head to Amity Park after this.

" _Practically- everything._ "

"Alright," Tony nodded, though Jack wouldn't be able to see it. "Anything else?"

" _We'll see once you get here,_ " he answered.

"See you then, Mr. Fenton," Tony said, hanging up. He got up, wiping his greasy hands off on a nearby rag. "JARVIS, call Pepper and tell her to reschedule all meetings for the next few weeks. And jet the jet ready. We're going to Amity Park."

" _As you wish, sir,_ " JARVIS replied as Tony got ready to go to meet Danny.

* * *

Danny sat in a hospital bed, wires hooked up to him. The doctors just left, and were now allowing him to have visitors. Maddie and Jack walked into the room, followed by Sam and Tucker.

The hospital room was obviously made for younger children in mind. It had a large window for one wall, and a painting of a friendly forest across from the bed. A flatscreen TV was attached to that same wall. The bed had white sheets with an orange blanket and there were a few chairs near the window. About a foot away from the TV was a whiteboard with the names of the nurses and doctors working that day, with markers to the side of it attached with Velcro.

He was staring at his arm, watching as it turned invisible, then visible again, then he looked up at his parents. "Daniel James Fenton… What did you think you were doing?" Maddie questioned.

"I- I was trying to fix it…" He replied, frowning. "I did… It just hurt. A lot."

Maddie frowned, and Sam and Tucker really wanted them out of the room so they could tell Danny what they saw.

"I had a weird dream after I passed out," Danny explained. "I was… Tanner. I had white hair. Green eyes. I wore a black and white jumpsuit- inverted colors of the one I was in… And… I was flying."

Sam's eyes widened with chock. "That's- that's-"

"Dude! That's what you looked like when you came out of the portal!" Tucker exclaimed, picking up where Sam had left off.

"Wait… What!?" Maddie, Jack, and Danny all questioned.

Danny paled, and then… His legs just vanished into thin air.

"Oh my God… Jack… It's happening," Maddie whispered.

"What's happening?" Danny questioned in shock and fear, staring at where his legs were supposed to be with eyes as wide as dinner plates.

The door opened right after that. "Well… Lets just say that genes don't like to be suppressed," a male voice said and Tony Stark waltzed right into the room. He looked at Danny, then at the other occupants in the room. "Pesky little things, genes are. But they also make us who we are, so..."

"That's- that's- you're Tony Stark!" Tucker sputtered out.

"That I am," Tony said with one of his charming, media smiles, before turning to the Fenton Family. "Hello Mr. Fenton, Mrs. Fenton, Danny," he greeted curtly, deciding to lean against the wall. "I want to start by saying that this was all done to protect you," he started. Then he sighed. "No, I'm not your father. God, I hope I don't have a kid anytime soon… Anyways, you're my younger brother. Contrary to popular belief, only Howard Stark died in the plane crash. Maria Stark was still very much alive. But, from what I understand, Howard couldn't stay long. So they kind of… You know… And Maria hid from the public for nine months, until you were born," he explained, not meeting anyone's eyes. "She gave you up to some college friends- the Fentons- right after that. She didn't want to be without Howard and she..." He stopped there.

Danny's eyes widened, and his mouth was open with shock. His eyes were bright green, and his arms were visible again.

"Danny?" Sam asked, poking him to try to get a response, but he was in a state of shock, and didn't feel a thing.

"Before mom decided she wanted to be with Howard and not alone, she gave you a name. Obviously you didn't keep it, because then you would have been hounded by the press," Tony continued.

"What- what's my… Real name then?" Danny asked.

"Marcus Howard Stark," Tony answered seriously.

Danny nodded slowly, before falling through the bed.

"Danny!" Sam and Tucker yelled.

"You alright, kid?" Tony asked, trying not to appear shocked. It wasn't working. At all.

He climbed out from under the bed, and nodded before he started floating up to the ceiling.

Sam looked up, and slapped herself in the face before jumping up and grabbing his shoe, dragging him back down to the ground.

Tucker looked toward Tony. "Anyways… I can't believe I'm best friends with the brother of Tony Stark! I'm a huge fan! Sign my beret?" He pulled off his signature red beret, holding it out towards Tony.

"Uh…" Tony looked at the star-struck teen. "Alright," he finally said, taking a marker from a whiteboard in the room and grabbing the teens hat. He signed his name on the front of the beret and handed it back to Tucker. "Enjoy, kid."

Tucker grinned as he clutched the hat. "Thank you!"

"Tucker, don't fangirl. Just don't," Sam said, which seemed to offend Tucker.

"Hey! I'm a dude, not a girl!"

"Fine. Don't _geek,_ " Sam remarked.

Maddie looked at Danny. "And Danny, sweetie, you're going to go with Mr. Stark for a while," she said.

"Wait, what?" Both Tony Danny exclaimed with surprise.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Mrs. Fenton. My PA says I barely take care of myself, as does my own AI! Not to mention that I'm a weapons manufacturer," Tony argued. Not that he didn't want to spend time with Danny, but he had the Jericho presentation coming up soon and he couldn't just _bring_ Danny with him.

Maddie glared at him for a second.

Tony looked like he wanted to argue more about it, since he was an alcoholic, not home very often, a playboy who always brought girls home for a one-night stand, and generally a horrible role model, but the glare made him think twice about it. "Actually, maybe it is a good idea," he gulped. "Let me just go make some calls…" He took out his phone and rushed out of the room.

"But- but- _mom_! I hardly know him!" Danny said as soon as Tony was out of the room, and out of earshot.

"That's the point. You need to bond with your brother, Danny," she said in a tone that only a mother could pull off. "No buts about it."

"But-"

"I said, _no buts about it,_ " Maddie repeated.

"Yes ma'am..." Danny admitted, defeated.


	2. Chapter 2: A Stark Goes Missing

A/N: Still own nothing. This is where things will get different! I _tried_ to make it less dialogue-y, but it didn't really… Work out. Some scenes just… Eluded me on how to add less dialogue to it. Once we get to my own chapters, there will be more description. On the brighter side, I did add stuff. And I kinda took a creative liberty with the attack on Tony's convoy. You'll see...

* * *

 **You Can't Choose Family**

 **Chapter 2**

 **A Stark Goes Missing**

* * *

At the airport, Tony's chauffeur, Happy Hogan, had Tony's bags, along with Danny's. He, wisely, did not question why Tony Stark suddenly had a teenager with him.

"Ready, kid?" Tony asked, his sunglasses covering his eyes.

Danny nodded.

"Then lets go," Tony said, going up the stairs to enter the plane. Danny followed behind him, hoping he would not suddenly start either a) disappearing, b) sinking through anything, or c) floating.

"So, you ever been to Malibu before?" Tony asked casually, trying to make some small talk as he took a seat.

Danny shook his head. "I've pretty much only stayed in Amity Park," he answered. "The closest thing we've had to a vacation is going to Spotone, Arkansas," he added.

Tony laughed a bit. "Then I think you'll like it."

Danny smiled. "Let's just hope I don't fall out of the jet," he joked.

Tony laughed again. "Oh, we are going to have some _fun_ together," he said with a small smirk. The boy was as witty as he was, if not more so.

* * *

The jet landed in Malibu later on that day. They were on a private runway, so the press couldn't get a look at Danny.

Danny sighed in relief because he had not fallen out of the jet. He had only floated a little bit and turned invisible, luckily.

There was a woman waiting for them on the tarmac, but she quickly walked into the plane. She had strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. Her skin was Caucasian and she was slim yet tall. She wore professional looking clothes, and looked ready to berate Tony for his latest shenanigans.

"Tony, where have you-" She started to rant, then she noticed Danny. "Oh my God! Tony, did you _steal_ a teenager!? What would you do that!?"

"Wait, what?" Tony sputtered in shock. "No! Pepper, I didn't steal a teenager."

"I'm his brother," Danny said, getting up out of his seat and crossing his arms. "Tony, who's this?"

"Wait, brother?" The woman- Pepper- asked.

"It's a long story, Pepper. Did you get what I told you to?" He asked. "And Danny, meet my _lovely_ assistant, Ms. Pepper Potts."

Pepper nodded. "It's all in the guest bedroom at the house," she looked at Danny again. "And now I can see why you asked for those things."

Danny felt a little left out of the conversation, and when he went to move to the aisle-way of the jet, his foot turned intangible and sunk into the ground, then it turned tangible again- getting stuck. "Seriously!?" He questioned, trying to pull his foot out of the ground.

Pepper saw that and started to freak out. "Oh my God! Are you alright!?" That was… Not something she was expecting, and she dealt with Tony Stark on a near-daily basis.

"My foot is stuck in the floor of a jet. I don't think that counts as alright," Danny snarked, tugging on his foot again.

"Do- do you need some help?" She asked. "I- I could see if there are some power tools in the airport."

"Probab-" His foot finally came out of the ground. "Nevermind. At least that didn't happen while the jet was in the air," he commented.

"H- how did you do that?" She was shocked.

"I got electrocuted by a portal earlier today… I've been floating, disappearing, and falling through things ever since," Danny answered, his eyes turning from blue to green.

"Actually… You were born this way, Casper," Tony sighed. "Remember? Dear old dad had died before you were born, but mom hadn't… He, sorta… Have you watched the film in health class yet?"

Danny nodded, feeling an awkward conversation coming on.

"Well, dad's ghost did 'it' with mom as a human…"

"I'm going to go barf now," Danny said, walking toward the bathroom.

"Tony!" Pepper hissed, smacking him upside the head.

"What, would you have a better way of doing it? You didn't even know, Pepper!"

* * *

When they got to the mansion, JARVIS was the one to greet them. " _Good afternoon sir, and welcome back. The guest bedroom has been renovated to your specifications,_ " the AI said to Tony.

The disembodied voice made Danny jump. "Who's there!?" He exclaimed.

"That's JARVIS, Tony made him to run the house," Pepper explained to Danny, making him calm down a bit.

"He's an AI, or Artificial Intelligence. Stands for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System. Say hi to Danny, JARVIS," Tony added.

" _Welcome to Malibu, Mr. Fenton. If you require any assistance during your stay here, please do not hesitate to ask me_ ," the British AI greeted.

"So… How about the grand tour of Casa de Stark?" Tony asked with a smirk, making Pepper shake her head at Tony's antics.

* * *

It was a few days after Danny had arrived in Malibu when Tony brought Christine Everheart home for a one-night stand after the awards ceremony.

" _Good morning. It is 7:00 AM. The weather in Malibu is 72 degrees with scattered clouds. The surf conditions are fair with waist-to-shoulder high lines. High tide will be at 10:52 AM,_ " JARVIS said crisply after Christine Everheart woke up.

Christine was a slim woman with pale skin. She had hazel eyes and pale skin and wore one of Tony's shirts which was several times too big for the woman.

"Tony?" She asked, walking around the house. "Hey, Tony?" She touched a blue dial, which turned red.

" _You are not authorized to access this area,_ " JARVIS said, making the woman jump back in shock.

A fourteen-year-old boy with black hair and bright green eyes showed up in the doorway. "Um… Who are you?" He questioned, having heard her call out for Tony.

"Christine Everheart. Vanity Fair Magazine. And who are you?" She asked.

Danny debated giving her his name, or not. "I'm Tony's brother," he answered, eyes narrowed.

"Tony has a brother?" She asked.

"Didn't I just say that?" He retorted, arms crossed.

"Well, yes, but there's no record of it!"

He smirked slightly. "Your point being…?"

"How-" Christine never got to finish her sentence as the clicking of heels could be heard.

Danny recognized the clicking of heels as Pepper, and his smirk grew bigger.

"I've got your clothes here. They've been dry-cleaned and pressed, and there's a car waiting for you outside that will take you anywhere you'd like to go," Pepper told Christine.

"You must be the famous Pepper Potts," Christine smirked.

"Indeed I am," Pepper answered with a nod.

"After all these years, Tony still has you picking up the dry-cleaning," she said, trying to provoke the other woman.

Pepper remained professional. "I do anything and everything that Mr. Stark requires, including, occasionally, taking out the trash," she replied with a faint smile. "Will that be all?"

Danny snickered a little bit, knowing _exactly_ what Pepper meant by trash.

Christine huffed and left to go get changed. "Danny, can you come with me down into the workshop for a moment?" Pepper asked.

Danny nodded.

* * *

Down in the workshop, Tony was working on a car- his bright orange Saleen S7- when Pepper turned down the music and entered the Workshop with Danny.

"Please don't turn down my music," Tony said as he came out from under the car.

"Too late," Danny quipped.

"You two are supposed to be halfway around the world right now," Pepper said, glaring at Tony.

"How'd she take it?" Tony asked, clearly talking about Everheart. It was so like Tony to evade the topic at hand.

"Like a champ," Pepper answered with a sigh. She knew this would happen.

"Oh, before I forget…" Danny said. "Apparently I also have advanced hearing," he explained. "And wait… What?"

"Log that, JARVIS _,_ " Tony said, no longer paying any attention to Pepper, as usual.

" _Yes, sir,_ " JARVIS replied.

Tony turned back to Pepper, noticing she was still there. "Why are you trying to hustle me out of here?" He asked Pepper.

"Tony has a demonstration in Afghanistan for a missile, and no one will be around so you have to go with him," Pepper explained. "And your flight was scheduled to leave an hour and a half ago," she glared at Tony.

"Afghanistan?" Danny questioned. "Why Afghanistan?"

"Being a weapons manufacturer drags me to a lot of war zones. Don't worry, we'll be with the army. Totally safe," Tony explained to Danny. "And that's funny, I thought with it being my plane and all, that it would just wait for me to get there," he added, getting up. That comment earned a smile from Danny.

"Tony, I need to speak to you about a couple things before I get you out of the door," Pepper said, already onto the next topic.

"Doesn't it kind of defeat the purpose of having your own plane if it departs before you arrive?" Tony asked, seemingly ignoring Pepper.

Danny nodded. "You would think they'd wait for you."

"Larry called. He's got another buyer for the Jackson Pollock in the wings," Pepper said, ignoring the comments about the plane. "Do you want it, yes or no?"

"Is it a good representation of his spring period?" Tony asked, barely interested.

"No. The Springs was actually the neighborhood in East Hampton where he lived and worked, not 'spring' like the season," Pepper explained. "So?" She asked.

"I think it's a fair example," Tony said.

"I think it's incredibly overpriced," Pepper replied.

"I need it. Buy it, store it," Tony said, totally ignoring Pepper's opinion on the matter.

"Okay," Pepper checked something off on her list. She looked back to Tony. "The MIT commencement speech-"

"-Is in _June_. Please, don't harangue me about stuff that's way, way, down-"

"They're haranguing me, so I'm gonna say yes."

"Deflect it and absorb it. Don't transmit it back to me."

Pepper showed Tony something he had to sign. "I need you to sign this before you get on the plane."

"What are you trying to get rid of me for? What, you got plans?" Tony asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do have plans."

"I don't like it when you have plans."

Danny was slightly annoyed by all the business talk. He was about to cut in when Pepper gave him _a look_ that shut him up.

"I'm allowed to have plans on my birthday." Pepper replied to Tony.

"It's your birthday?"

"Yes."

"I knew that. Already?"

"Yeah. Isn't that strange? It's the same day as last year."

"Get yourself something nice from me."

"I already did."

"And?"

"It was very nice."

* * *

Tony and Danny got to the plane three hours after it was supposed to depart. Waiting for them there was Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes.

Rhodey was the official liaison between Stark Industries and the United States Air Force. He was currently in his uniform and highly decorated. He was an African-American man with a slightly muscular build. He had black hair that was cut short and brown eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" The Lieutenant Colonel asked as the two boarded the plane.

"What?" Tony asked, feigning ignorance.

"Three hours," Rhodey replied.

"I got caught doing a piece for _Vanity Fair_ ," Tony defended himself. "Danny, meet Rhodey. He works for the military as their liaison with Stark Industries."

"For _three hours_. For _three hours_ you kept me standing here," Rhodey argued. "And why did you bring a teenager with you?"

Tony sighed. "Rhodey, meet my younger brother, Danny," he introduced.

Danny waved at the older man as all three boarded the plane.

As soon as they were in the air, Rhodey looked at Danny, then at Tony.

"So… You have a younger brother. How?" The man asked.

"Didn't you take health class?" Tony quipped back with a smirk, causing Rhodey to groan and Danny to hold in a laugh.

" _Tony_. You know that's not what I meant," Rhodes said with a small glare aimed at the billionaire.

Tony laughed, before turning serious. "Things happened after the plane crash, Rhodey. It's up to Danny if he wants to share with the rest of the class. Just know that he is my brother," he explained.

* * *

"General," Tony greeted, now professional. The General had a husky build and wore Air Force fatigues. He had black hair, Caucasian skin, and brown eyes that were covered with sunglasses.

"Welcome, Mr. Stark. We look forward to your weapons presentation," the General said as he tried to ignore the fact that Tony Stark had a teenager with him.

Danny frowned at being ignored, but didn't say anything. He was too fascinated with all of the noise he could now hear anyways.

* * *

"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both? With that in mind, I humbly present the crown jewel of Stark Industries' Freedom Line. It's the first missile system to incorporate our proprietary repulsor technology," Tony stood in front of a mountain landscape, in a suit and tie and sunglasses. " _They_ say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. **I respectfully disagree.** I prefer the weapon you only have to fire _**once,**_ " he continued dramatically. "That's how Dad did it. That's how America does it. And it's worked out pretty well so far," he pressed a button on a remote he was holding and a missile launcher aimed itself at the mountains behind Tony. "Find an excuse to let one of these off the chain, and I personally guarantee you the bad guys won't even want to come out of their caves," he pressed another button, letting a missile loose. "For your consideration, the Jericho," The missile made flares, and then proceeded to blow up the mountains. Tony had his arms held outstretched as he smiled.

Walking over to a cooler with the Stark Industries logo on it, he opened it and an alcoholic beverage came out. Taking a glass he said, "I'll be throwing one of these in with every purchase of 500 million or more. To peace!"

Danny had flinched slightly at the noise the Jericho had given off when it exploded those mountains- his newfound hearing abilities made it seem even louder. "Should you really be drinking now, Tony?" The teen questioned.

Tony shrugged but downed the glass anyways. "Probably not, but the money Stark Industries will get from the Jericho is something to celebrate," he replied as he opened his phone.

" _Tony!_ " Obadiah said as he picked up his phone.

"Obie, what are you doing up?" Tony asked the older man.

" _I couldn't sleep till I found out how it went. How'd it go?_ "

"It went great. Looks like it's gonna be an early Christmas."

" _Hey! Way to go, my boy! I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?_ "

"Why aren't you wearing those pajamas I got you?"

" _Good night, Tony_ ," he said, sounding like he was about to sigh exasperatedly as he hung up.

The two brothers made their way to a line of humvees and Tony got into the back of one humvee.

Danny sighed, and followed. He was starting to get annoyed by all of this traveling. He could not see how Tony could stand it. He was about to get in when Rhodey walked over to the vehicle.

"Hey, Tony," Rhodey said.

"I'm sorry this is the 'fun-vee,'" Tony said, leaning out of the window. "The 'hum-drum-vee' is back there."

"Nice job, see you back at base," Rhodey told the man, used to dealing with him at this point.

Tony thought for a moment before looking to Danny. "Listen, I know your mom wanted us to bond, but I'd feel safer if you went with Rhodey. He can protect you better than I can," he admitted.

The teen's brow furrowed and he was about to question it, but he decided against it, thinking Tony would just be getting even more alcohol in him. "Alright, see you at the base," he said with a nod and followed after the Lieutenant Colonel.

Little did Danny know that would be the last time he would see his older brother in three months.

* * *

It was about a half hour before the humvee with Danny and Rhodey arrived at the base. They had gotten held up by the humvee refusing to start. Everyone was in a frenzy. Word hadn't reached Rhodey about what had happened with the rest of the convoy due to the technical difficulties and the driver going a different way.

"What's going on?" Danny asked, trying to suppress a wince at all the noise.

Rhodey frowned. "I don't know, kid," he answered honestly. "But I'm going to find out."

A young airman with brown hair and blue eyes almost rushed past them, but Rhodey stopped him by grabbing his shoulder. "You know what's going on?" He asked the young soldier.

The man stiffened and saluted, which was returned by the Lieutenant Colonel, before an answer was given. "T- The convoy with Tony Stark was attacked, s- sir. Mr. Stark is currently missing," he answered.

"Dismissed," Rhodey said curtly, and the airman ran off. The man was in shock. His best friend could be hurt, or worse. He looked towards Danny to see the teen also in shock. He didn't know how the teen was taking it, but he knew the kid should get back to the states as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 3: A Man of Iron is Born

A/N: Oi, rewriting is hard but rewarding. I still own nothing. Sorry if anyone is OOC, I'm trying my hardest. And more ghostly stuff will be coming soon. Just trying to get everything else out of the way.

* * *

 **You Can't Choose Family**

 **Chapter 3**

 **A Man of Iron is Born**

* * *

From Afghanistan, Danny was sent back to Malibu. Pepper had to deal with Stark Industries, considering the CEO was now missing, so she sent him back home. Danny wanted to help find Tony, but even with his powers he couldn't do much in Afghanistan and he couldn't help much in Malibu, so he had to just wait.

While he waited, he practiced with his ghost powers, making sure he had control over them. He also helped to hunt down ghosts when he could.

It was three months until he heard anything from Pepper.

* * *

It was another normal day in Amity Park. It was a Saturday, and Danny, Sam, and Tucker were all in Danny's room, playing video games. The phone rang and someone in the house picked it up.

"Danny!" His older sister, Jasmine "Jazz" Fenton, called up. "Someone's on the phone for you!"

"I'll be right back, guys," Danny said as he put down his controller and ran down the stairs to get the phone from Jazz.

Jazz looked like what a younger Pepper might have looked like. Her hair was brighter than Pepper's, but she had a similar eye color. The young woman wore a black v-neck shirt with blue pants, black slip-on shoes, and a blue headband.

"She says it's important," Jazz said as she handed the phone to her younger brother.

"Hello?" Danny asked the other person on the line.

The was a quiet sob on the other end of the line. " _Danny, it's Pepper Potts_ ," the woman- Pepper- said.

Danny was frozen stiff. He was about to assume the worst- due to the sob- before Pepper continued.

" _They found him, Danny. He was wandering around in the desert but he's alive and they found him. He'll be back in Malibu tomorrow._ _He wants you to be there when he gets back,_ " she said.

The phone was nearly dropped at the news.

* * *

It took a while, but Danny ended up in Malibu once again. He was waiting with Pepper and Happy for Tony to come out of the plane. Danny and Pepper were outside while Happy waited in the car.

The door dropped down to reveal Tony Stark in a wheelchair and a sling, but he got out of the wheelchair and walked over to Pepper and Danny. The man looked worse for wear, but he had been checked out of a hospital in Germany before coming back home, so he was doing better.

Tony noticed how Pepper's eyes were red. "Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?" He asked with a smirk..

"Tears of joy, I hate job hunting," Pepper replied.

"Yeah, vacation's over," Tony said as the three got into the car, where Happy was waiting for them. He wanted to talk to Danny, but the others got to him first.

"Where to, sir?" Happy asked.

Tony looked like he wanted to answer, but Pepper beat him to it.

"Take us to the hospital, please, Happy," Pepper said, only to have Tony butt in.

"No," Tony shook his head.

"No? Tony, you have to go to the hospital."

"No is a complete answer."

"The doctor has to look at you."

"I don't have to do anything, besides, they already looked me over in Germany," he explained. "I have been in captivity for three months. There are three things I want to do," Tony started. "I want an American cheeseburger, I want to talk to my brother, and the other-" Pepper cut him off.

"That's enough of that."

"-Is not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now."

"Call for a press conference?" Pepper asked, mildly shocked at the news.

"Tony, why do you want a press conference?" Danny asked.

"Yeah," Tony nodded.

"What on earth for?" Pepper repeated.

"Hogan, drive. Cheeseburger first. I'll explain on the way."

* * *

After getting hamburgers from Burger King, they ended up at the Stark Industries headquarters, where the media was already waiting.

"Miss Potts?" A male voice asked as Danny and Pepper were standing in the back of the room, away from all the media, though people were giving odd looks towards Danny. No doubt it would be in the all the tabloids tomorrow.

"Yes?" Pepper asked, turning to see a balding man in a suit. He had a little bit of brown hair on his head and his eyes were blue. He had a fair complexion and an athletic build.

"Can I speak to you for a moment?" He asked.

"I'm not part of the press conference, but it's about to begin right now."

"I'm not a reporter," he replied, not giving up. "I'm Agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"Wow, that's quite a mouthful," Pepper replied.

"That's an understatement," Danny added.

"I know. We're working on it," Agent Coulson replied, looking towards Danny. "And you are…?"

Danny thought for a moment before answering. "Marcus Stark, Tony's brother," he replied.

"You know, we've been approached already by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA…" She trailed off.

"We're a separate division with a more specific focus," Coulson explained. "We need to debrief Mr. Stark about the circumstances of his escape. Also, we were not made aware of the fact that Mr. Stark had a brother."

Before anyone else could say anything, Tony came out, still in the sling. Then he sat down in front of the podium.

"Hey, would it be alright if everyone sat down? Why don't you just sit down? That way you can see me, and I can…"

All the reporters sat down and Danny paused and started paying attention to the press conference instead of to Coulson.

Tony was acting… Different.

"I never got to say goodbye to Dad," Tony started. "I never got to say goodbye to my father. There's questions that I would have asked him. I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did. If he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels," he continued, voice filled with emotion. "I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."

"Mr. Stark!" A reported called out. He was a familiar face in the crowd.

"Hey, Ben," Tony replied. He knew the reporter well enough that he remembered the guy's name.

"What happened over there?" He asked.

"I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries until such a time as I can decide what the future of the company will be," Tony stated, causing the room to fill with an uproar before Obadiah Stane took to the podium behind Tony.

Obadiah Stane, or Obie to Tony, was a friend of Howard Stark and helped Tony with running Stark Industries. He was a bald man with a gray beard. He was Caucasian with blue eyes. His build wasn't anything special, he was kind of husky, though. He wore a nice suit and tie and his eyes were filled with shock at Tony's announcement.

Danny's mouth dropped open in shock at Tony's sudden decision- surprised he would make one like that. _And what does he want to tell me?_ He wondered.

"I think we're gonna be selling a lot of newspapers. What direction it should take, one that I'm comfortable with and is consistent with the highest good for this country, as well," Tony was cut off from his rambling by Obadiah, who was trying to save the press conference somehow.

"What we should take away from this is that Tony's back! And he's healthier than ever. We're going to have a little internal discussion and we'll get back to you with the follow-up." And with that, the press conference ended.

* * *

After the conference, Tony was talking to Danny, inside the building housing the large Arc Reactor. "You know, dad started building this. We finished it, but it was never really complete. It's just sitting here…" Tony started. "Danny, things happened out there. I almost died. Multiple times. I almost let myself go," he explained. "But then I realized something… If I did, what would happen to you? You'd be left to pick up the pieces of what I had left. The things I saw out there… If knew that I couldn't let Stark Industries continue making weapons. And you could help me."

"Like what?" Danny asked, curious as to what Tony was getting at.

"Tablets, phones. The company could donate to charity. Maybe try to finish the Arc Reactor technology," Tony mused. "I don't know, but I refuse to make any more weapons. It's time I started to do things differently."

Danny nodded. Before he could answer, however, Obadiah walked in on the two of them.

"Well, that… That went well," he said rather bluntly.

"Did I just paint a target on the back of my head?" Tony asked.

" _Your_ head?" Obadiah asked. "What about _my_ head? What do you think the over-under on the stock drop is gonna be tomorrow?"

"Optimistically, 40 points," Tony hummed.

"At minimum," Obie countered. "Tony, we're a _weapons_ manufacturer."

"Obie, I just don't want a body count to be our only legacy," Tony explained.

"That's what we do. We're ironmongers. We make weapons," Stane tried to explain, only to get cut off by Danny.

"You make destruction," he argued, arms crossed.

"See, Obie, Danny gets it," Tony said. "And it's mine- I mean _our_ \- name on the side of the building. If I'm leaving the company for Danny to control one day, I don't want weapons to be in the name."

"And what we do keeps the world from falling into chaos," Obadiah pointed out to both of them.

"We also cause it, Obie. We can do better. We're gonna do something else," Tony stated, staying firm to his decision.

"Wait, what!?" Danny said, finally realizing what Tony had meant. His eyes went as wide as dinner plates.

"I thought you knew?" Tony asked Danny.

"Obviously not," the teen snarked back.

"Unless I have kids, which I'm not planning to do any time soon, you're next in line to become CEO of Stark Industries," Tony explained. "That's usually how these things tend to work."

Danny's eyes grew in shock. He didn't know how to react to that.

"So," Obie started, trying to get the conversation back on track. "What do you propose we do? Make baby bottles?" He remarked dryly.

"I think we should take another look into arc reactor technology," Tony offered.

"Come on. The arc reactor, that's a publicity stunt!" Obie knew that Tony was not going to give up yet. "Tony, come on. We built that thing to shut the hippies up!" He pointed out.

"It works," Tony stated bluntly.

"Yeah, as a science project," Obie was exasperated by this point. "The arc was never cost effective. We knew that before we built it. Arc reactor technology, that's a dead end, right?" He asked.

"Maybe," Tony answered.

"Am I right? We haven't had a breakthrough in that in what?"

"Thirty years," Tony stopped pretending now. "Could you have a lousier poker face? Just tell me, who told you?"

"Never mind who told me. Show me," the older man demanded.

Danny was beginning to get confused. What was Tony hiding?

"It's Rhodey or Pepper," Tony said, trying to stall.

"I want to see it," Obadiah said seriously, giving Tony a look.

"Okay, Rhodey." Tony sighed and unbuttoned his shirt with the arm that was not in a sling. Inside his chest was a circular blue light. "It works," He stated.

Danny was shocked. What exactly was that in Tony's chest and _why_ was it there?

Obadiah tried to cover it up, looking around to make sure no one else was there. "Listen to me, Tony. We're a team. Do you understand? There's nothing we can't do if we stick together, like your father and I."

"I'm sorry I didn't give you a heads-up, okay? But if I had-"

"Tony," Obie started. "Tony, no more of this "ready, fire, aim" business. You understand me?"

"That was dad's line."

"You gotta let me handle this. We're gonna have to play a whole different kind of ball now. We're going to have to take a lot of heat," Obadiah said. "I want you to promise me that you're gonna lay low."

"Yeah, fine," Tony agreed. Finally, Obie left, leaving Tony and Danny alone once more.

"Tony… What is that?" Danny asked after several long minutes.

Tony sighed. "I got hit with shrapnel. I was going to die, and this man who I was with while in Afghanistan put a magnet in my chest, powered by a car battery," he started to explain. "I knew I wouldn't last long with the car battery, so I miniaturized the Arc Reactor."

Danny was shocked. "So that's… Keeping you alive?"

Tony nodded.

* * *

It was a few hours later, when the brothers were back at home, when Danny heard from Tony again. The genius had retreated back to his workshop to do God-knows-what, so Pepper and Danny were left to watch TV upstairs.

" _Stark Industries! I've got one recommendation! Ready? Ready? Sell, sell, sell!_ " The guy on TV exclaimed. A camera was pointed at a Stark Industries coffee mug, and the guy was holding a mallet in his hands. " _Abandon ship! Does the Hindenburg ring any bells? Let me show you the new Stark Industries business plan!_ " He swung his mallet as hard as he could at the mug, breaking it into thousands of pieces. " _Look, that's a weapons company that doesn't make weapons!_ " Pepper, presumably annoyed with the show, muted the TV so she could do her work.

A few minutes later, Tony's voice could be heard from a speaker in the room. " _Pepper. How big are your hands?_ " He asked suddenly.

"What?" Pepper asked in reply, confused.

" _How big are your hands?_ " Tony repeated.

"I don't understand why-"

" _Get down here, I need you._ "

Pepper sighed and went down to the workshop. Danny followed her, wanting to know why his brother was acting oddly.

When she got to the workshop, the sight before her was terrifying. There her boss was, in his workshop. He was laying down on a table and had taken his shirt off, exposing his chest and the Arc Reactor. What was most jarring was the fact that he had _taken out the Arc Reactor_. Though, he did have another one in his other hand, which was a bit of a relief.

"Tony, what are you doing?" Danny exclaimed in shock, thinking his brother had gone over the edge.

"Danny, calm down. I'm not going to die or anything," Tony replied as Pepper walked over to him, also in shock. "Hey. Let's see them. Show me your hands. Let's see them," he asked his assistant. The strawberry-blonde did as she was told and showed him her hands. "Oh, wow. They are small. Very petite, indeed. I just need your help for a sec," he said calmly.

"Oh, my God, is that the thing that's keeping you alive?" Pepper asked, pointing to the old Arc Reactor.

"It was. It is now an antique," Tony replied offhandedly. He held up the newer looking one for Danny and Pepper to see. "This is what will be keeping me alive for the foreseeable future. I'm swapping it up for an upgraded unit, and I just ran into a little speed bump."

"Speed bump? What does that mean?" Pepper asked, confused.

"It's nothing. It's just a little snag," he admitted. "There's an exposed wire under this device. And it's contacting the socket wall and causing a little bit of a short," the man explained. Pepper looked like she was on the verge freaking out. "It's fine," he tried to soothe her.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked after a few tense moments.

"Put that on the table over there," he started, talking about the old Arc Reactor. "That's irrelevant. I want you to reach in, and you're just gonna gently lift the wire out."

"Is it safe?"

"Yeah, it should be fine. It's like _Operation_. You just don't let it touch the socket wall or it goes 'beep.'"

Pepper looked slightly scared and slightly confused. "What do you mean 'Operation?'"

"Tony, that's not safe at all!" Danny exclaimed, thinking his brother had finally lost it.

"It's a game, never mind," Tony said with a sigh. "Just gently lift the wire. Okay? Great. And Danny, it's perfectly fine. I know what I'm doing."

"You know, I don't think that I'm qualified to do this," Pepper tried to back out, agreeing with Danny.

"No, you're fine," Tony told her. "You're the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person I've ever met. You're gonna do great," he said, trying to encourage her.

Pepper nodded and steeled herself, reaching inside Tony's chest to grab the wire. "Oh, there's pus!" She cried out, very much grossed out.

"It's not pus. It's an inorganic plasmic discharge from the device, not from my body."

"It smells!"

"Yeah, it does. The copper wire," he said. "The copper wire, you got it?" He repeated.

"Okay, I got it! I got it!"

"Okay, you got it? Now, don't let it touch the sides-" Tony's voice started to change in tone as Pepper messed up a bit. "-When you're coming out!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She apologized quickly.

"Okay, now make sure that when you pull it out, you don't-"

"There's a magnet at the end of it!" She exclaimed after pulling the whole thing out.

"That was it. You just pulled it out."

"Oh, God!"

"Okay, I was not expecting-" Pepper tried to put it back in, but Tony stopped her.

"Don't put it back in! Don't put it back in!" He told her.

"Okay, what do I do?" Pepper noticed his breathing became heavier. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just going into cardiac arrest 'cause you yanked it out like a trout-"

"What? You said this was safe!"

Danny was in shock at the whole situation and was ready to jump in at a moment's notice, but a look from Tony stopped him.

"We gotta hurry. Take this. Take this. You gotta switch it out really quick."

"Okay. Okay. Tony?"

"It's going to be okay."

"Is it?"

"It's gonna be okay. I'm gonna make this okay."

"Let's hope."

"Okay, you're gonna attach that to the base plate. Make sure you-" Pepper did was she was supposed to do. "Was that so hard? That was fun, right? Here, I got it. I got it. Here."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I feel great. You okay?"

"Don't ever, ever, ever, ever ask me to do anything like that ever again," Pepper laughed a bit. Danny relaxed, seeing that Tony was fine. "Anyway, what do you want me to do with this?" She asked as she picked up the old Arc Reactor.

"That? Destroy it. Incinerate it," Tony said without a care.

"You don't want to keep it?" Pepper asked.

"Pepper, I've been called many things. 'Nostalgic' is not one of them."

"Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" The woman said with a sigh.

"That will be all, Miss Potts."

Pepper made her way back upstairs to continue with her work, leaving the brothers in the workshop.

"How are you acting like what just happened was nothing!?" Danny questioned his older brother.

"I'm fine now, right?" Tony asked the teen in return.

Danny sighed. "I see how we're related…" He muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

Tony went quiet for a good few minutes before giving his teenage brother a serious look. "Danny, I want to show you something I'm working on. It's… Something special."

He nodded slowly, a bit unsure as to what his older brother was up to now.

"JARVIS, pull up the specs for the Mark II," Tony told his AI, sitting in his chair.

" _As you wish, sir,_ " the crisp voice JARVIS replied, pulling up a holographic picture of a metal suit. It was tall and looked very sturdy. There were two slits for eye holes and a circle in the chest where the Arc Reactor would be.

"That suit?" Danny asked, surprised. It looked very much like some kind of a weapon, which Tony had said he would stop building.

Tony nodded. "I'm calling it the Mark II. It can do things like fly and shoot missiles," he explained with a child-like grin.

Danny frowned even more at the confirmation that it was a weapon. "Tony… I thought you said you were done making weapons," he said.

Tony nodded. "I know I did, but this baby is going to be the exception. I saw _my weapons_ being used out there, by the terrorists. I'm going to use this to destroy all of my weapons that are in the hands of terrorists."

He nodded, seeing his reasoning. Though that didn't mean he had to like it. "Good."

* * *

It was about a day later, after Tony had finished up the specs on the Mark II, when production finally started on it. Both Danny and Tony were in the workshop, since Tony wanted Danny there in case anything went wrong. Butterfingers, You, Dummy, and JARVIS could only do so much, anyways. Plus, he kind of wanted to see how his brother was doing with his powers. So while Tony was testing things, Danny was 'practicing.' In reality, he wanted to watch his brother way more than practice.

"Okay, let's do this right. Start mark, half a meter, and back and center. Dummy, look alive. You're on standby for fire safety," Tony started, though there was this feeling in the back of his mind that Dummy would somehow mess it up.

"You, roll it. Okay. Activate hand controls. We're gonna start off nice and easy," he continued, mostly talking to himself. "We're gonna see if 10% thrust capacity achieves lift. And three, two, one," Tony did lift off into the air, making Danny's eyes glow with his excitement, but his takeoff was rather violent in nature and he slammed into the ceiling before falling to the floor.

It was then that, due to Dummy's faulty heat sensors, the clawed bot proceeded to spray the philanthropist with the fire extinguisher that was in it's grasp. This caused the teen to laugh slightly at the scene.

Tony got up with a playful smirk on his face. "Oh yeah? How about you try it then?" He asked in a challenging tone.

"Oh, you're on," Danny replied, letting a set of bright white rings form around his waist. He was suddenly transformed into his ghost form. This was actually the first time Tony had gotten the chance to see it, and it was something. He had some features that were present in his human form, but he also looked like a totally different person. He floated a few feet off of the ground and had a cocky grin on his face.

Tony huffed, shooting Danny a playful glare. "Showoff. You make it look so easy, you know," he pointed out.

Danny shrugged, relaxing in mid-air. Tony didn't even wait for a reply before going back to working on his suit, or the skeleton of it, rather.

* * *

Tony was still in the workshop, working on the arm of his suit when Pepper came in and saw what he was doing.

"I've been buzzing you. Did you hear the intercom?" She asked, trying to ignore what her boss was doing.

"Yeah, everything's… What?" Tony asked, looking into the woman's eyes.

"Obadiah's upstairs," she stated.

"Great!" Tony replied with a smile.

"What would you like me to tell him?"

"Nothing, I'll be right up."

"Okay," Pepper nodded, before her gaze traveled to the machinery on the man's arm. "I thought you said you were done making weapons."

"I am. _This_ ," he started, pointing at the technology on his arm, "is a flight stabilizer. It's completely harmless," as he said that, however, a blast of energy came out of the palm of the so-called 'flight stabilizer.' "I didn't expect that."

Danny came downstairs a few seconds later. "He's getting impatient," he reported before pausing. "And he has pizza," he added on as an afterthought.

Tony nodded and took his arm out of the flight stabilizer, hoping that he wouldn't shoot anything else with it. "It should be done soon," the tech-wizard mused. "Real soon."

Danny nodded.

"What do you mean by that?" Pepper asked in confusion. "What should be done soon?"

"I'll tell you later, Pep. Pinky-swear," Tony replied with a goofy grin.

Danny smirked slightly. "Lovebirds…" He muttered quietly.

"Hey, I resent that. Last I checked, I was a playboy," Tony responded cheekily.

* * *

Tony finally left the workshop after a few more minutes, followed by Pepper and Danny. Obadiah was on the piano in the middle of the room, playing a song. "So, how'd it go?" He asked, then he noticed the box of pizza that Danny had previously mentioned. "It went that bad, huh?"

"Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean it went bad," Obie said with a sigh.

" _Sure_ it doesn't," Tony said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"It would have gone better if you were there," the older man pointed out.

" _You_ told me to lay low. That's what I've been doing. I lay low, and you take care of all-" Tony started, only to get cut off.

"Hey, come on. In _public._ The press," Obie explained to the younger man. " _This_ was a board of directors meeting."

"This was a board of directors meeting?"

"The board is claiming you have post-traumatic stress. They're filing an injunction. They want to lock you out," Obie said with another sigh.

"Why, 'cause the stocks dipped 40 points? We knew that was gonna happen."

"It was fifty-six and a half, Tony."

"It doesn't matter. We own the controlling interest in the company."

"Tony, the board has rights, too. They're making the case that you and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest."

"I'm being responsible! That's a new direction for me, for the company. I mean, me on the company's behalf being responsible for the way that-"

"Oh, come on. Tony. Tony."

"I'll be in the shop," Tony said with the box of pizza in his hands. Just like Tony to try and take the whole box of pizza. Before he could leave, however, Obadiah put a hand on Tony's shoulder.

Danny frowned, not really understanding the whole situation- but he could tell what they meant for the most part. "Maybe if you can prove to the board that you don't have PTSD, they'll stop the injun- whatever it is," he suggested.

Tony sighed. "Danny, I have a lot to teach you about the assclowns that are the board of directors," he said. "They won't stop. They've always wanted to find a reason to lock me out."

"You're the owner of the company. Well, CEO. Aren't you higher than them or something in the employment ranks? That's what CEO means… Right?" He replied.

"Well, yes but they oversee everything. If they think something's wrong, they'll point it out. Taking SI out of the weapons market was something that they pointed out. And what happened in Afghanistan gives them a good reason to think that I have PTSD, even though I don't want to agree with them."

Obadiah decided to butt in right then. "Hey, hey! Hey, Tony. Listen," he said, grabbing the brown-haired man's attention. "I'm trying to turn this thing around, but you gotta give me something. Something to pitch them. Let me have the engineers analyze that. You know, draw up some specs."

Tony quickly went on the defensive. "No. No, absolutely not," he replied, covering his Arc Reactor with his hands.

"It'll give me a bone to throw the boys in New York!"

"This one stays with me. That's it, Obie. Forget it."

"All right, well, this stays with me, then," Obie retorted, taking the box of pizza from Tony. But he decided to be nice and he opened the box, holding it out for the younger man to take a few slices. "Go on, here, you can have a piece. Take two."

"Thank you."

"You mind if I come down there and see what you're doing?"

"Good night, Obie."

The silence was long and awkward. "So, kid. What are you going to do after college?" Obadiah said, trying to strike up a conversation with Danny, trying to break the silence.

"Not sure yet. I'm still only a freshman…" Danny said.

"Is becoming CEO of Stark Industries on your mind?" He asked.

Danny paused, then nodded. "Yeah," he replied.


End file.
